Nazareth Students Embark on Civil Rights Journey of Discovery and Hope
A group of 12 Nazareth College students started their first official week of summer break by embarking on a five-day Civil Rights Journey of Discovery and Hope from May 15 - 20, 2017. The group is traveling to Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Ala., and Memphis, Tenn., to visit historical sites, meet with activists, historians and scholars. The May 2017 trip is the inaugural trip with the hopes of the Civil Rights Journey of Discovery and Hope occurring annually.
Led by Mohammed Ahamed, director of the Office for Diversity & Inclusion, and Michael Ngadi, area director in Residential Life, the 2017 Civil Rights Journey of Discovery and Hope is designed with five principal goals.
- To research, discover, and appreciate the history of the Civil Rights movement through firsthand experience and on sites where significant historical occurrences took place
- To develop knowledge about and a deeper understanding of segregation, Jim Crow Laws and the ramification of institutional, structural racism and the policies and practices that enable them. As well as Nazareth's direct connection with the founding and staffing of Good Samaritan Hospital in Selma, Alabama. The only hospital and school of nursing in 8 counties that served African Americans
- To contextualize these experiences; comparing then and now by critiquing contemporary assumptions that perpetuate these systems, structures, policies, and practices of injustice in our society by reflecting and analyzing the experience of those who suffered and sacrificed for our civil liberties
- To feel empowered, be able to empathize, and develop a lens that will foster growth, allyship, understanding, action, and a commitment to advocate for civil rights and actively work against injustice on our campus, in our city, country and world.
- To use this knowledge and information to help build a future that is full of hope for the marginalized and peaceful for all
The 2017 Civil Rights Journey of Discovery and Hope is in direct support of Nazareth College's mission to "seek students who want to make a difference in their own world and the world around them, and encourages them to develop the understanding, commitment, and confidence to lead fully informed and actively engaged lives."
Participants will serve as ambassadors; they will be required to share their experience with the Nazareth Community through the hosting of campus forums and programs. As a leadership development trip, participants will also develop skills that will empower them to be active leaders/ambassadors in the areas of diversity and inclusion.
Supported by the Office of the President, Office for Diversity & Inclusion, Undergraduate Association, Office of Residential Life, Center for Spirituality, and Student Support Services.
For More Information
Julie Long | Chief PR Officer | 585-389-2456 or jlong2@naz.edu
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
